Adventure, February 20, 1922 — page 7: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

The Seventeen Thieves of El-Kalil. : afterwards against his orders, arguin’ with a lot o’ knifers? Eighteen-carat—twenty- two jewels—breguet spring—say: get me that watch back an’ I’ll give you twenty U.S. dollars for yourself!” “Don’t want ’em,” said Grim, smiling down placidly from the superior height of the camel. “What—you don’t want dollars? Quit your kiddin’! There’ s nobody in this land don’t want dollars.” “How badly d’you want that watch?” “Oh, all right—twenty-five, then: but that’s. the limit.” “Dollars won’t do. I know you for a good scout, Aaron Cohen, or I’d let you lose your watch for abusing young de Crespigny. That boy’s got his hands full. How’d you like to be Governor of Hebron?” I’d sooner be King of the Trish! He’s not a bad feller at that, only too thick with Arabs. He gave me a drink after I’d done criticising. “But say: what do you know about me?” “And your emigration business? Nearly as much as you do!” “Who are you, anyway?” “My name is Grim.” “What? Him they call Jimgrim? Pardon me! Somehow I thought you didn’t talk like an Arab. Well,. you’re the very man I’m looking for. I want my .watch back, Major Grim. I’ve got no money in my sndeilieciateic up! - pocket or I’d give it to you, but there’s : _ fifty dollars you can use however you please, and I'll pay it on your say-so—no questiony asked. Could anything be fairer than that?” “D’you want it badly enough to turn back?”’ “What—to that nest o’ thieves? Hebron? To El-Kalil? Um-m-m! no money for one thing.” “T’ll lend you whatever you need.” “Your risk! If they skin it from me, it’s your money!” “All aight.” “You must have some mighty strong _ _ reason for wanting me back in Hebron!” “IT have. You'll be all right for a day or two:— There’s a hotel.”’ ‘““Yey—lI been there. The bugs in it have red-hot bear-traps on their feet and the food ain’t fit for niggers!” “Well, d’you want the watch?” “You'll get it for me?” “Ves, if you turn back.” To I got 5° “Uh! If you were English I wouldn’t — trust you; I’d say you were kiddin’ your- ° self or kiddin’ .me. Go on, I'll take a chance.” \ “See you at ‘the hotel then.” Grim and I rode on and in five minutes- hardly the dust of Cohen’s carriage was visible behind us. We rode side by side, — but it is not easy to talk from camel-back, — although the beasts’ feet make hardly any noise; I’ve a notion that the habitual re- — ticence of the desert-folk is partly due to enforced silence for long periods on the march, when the swing and sway of the camels and = the cloth over the rider’s mouth make con- versation next to impossible. formation came in‘snatches. “Good fellow, Cohen. Clever devil. Zion- = ist. Thinks he can provide land here for «Jews by encouraging Arabs to emigrate. Money behind him. Settle ’em on land in Arkansas and Tennessee. Kind fellow. Hot- air merchant. Good at bottom. Shrewd.. Strange mixture of physical fear and im- pudent courage.” “What makgs you so sure you can re- cover the watch?” “Experience of Hebron. I was governor there once.’ FOR an hour after that we padded #Y along in silence through a country £4) dotted with enormous herds of black goats in charge of patriarchal-looking shep- herds. The only trees in sight were occa- sional ancient olives; but as we drew near Hebron the hillsides were all divided by stone walls into orchards and we passed between miles of grape-vines, interspersed with mishmish, as they call their apricots. You don’t see Hebron until the road. begins to descend into it, and then the first view is of a neat modern village with the German influence predominant; for there, as everywhere else in Palestine, the Germans had not been content with making plans; they built good stone houses. city lies beyond all that, utterly untouched ' by science—a chaotic jumble flaunted in the face of discipline. We stopped in front of the Governonen | and that, of course was a German building, a neat little residence with a garden in front and a stone wall all about it, in sight of the jail which, equally of course, was Turkish. The Turks built nothing so good as their jails and the Germans strengthened them, but ] by as ADS ay a os yf cr ee , th Te ia 7} t Grim’s in- _ The ancient 200K com (@) aq ed i Preor | | q ’ + 8 ? 7 a Nal ae te | rs . . ~ Sve Abe es \ vr : ov . gi. welt r *. : } 7 a? F | e-ar De ae RN Sats ae A ¢ ~ te > > ei mi ‘4 a : o par ry = =